In the wake of election results that left many Democrats despondent, Minnesota’s U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, will vie to lead the nation’s Democratic Party. The representative from Minneapolis has long been a darling of the party’s most liberal wing.

“I am proud to announce my candidacy for chair of the Democratic National Committee, and if given the opportunity to serve, I will work tirelessly to make the Democratic Party an organization that brings us together and advances an agenda that improves people’s lives,” Ellison said Monday as he announced his plans.

At the launch of his campaign, Ellison rolled out a hefty list of endorsements, including Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Chuck Schumer of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The endorsement list also includes seven members of the U.S. House, Gov. Mark Dayton, state lawmakers and DNC Vice Chair and former Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak. More than four dozen Minnesota delegates to the Democratic National Convention said Monday afternoon that they support Ellison.

In the lead-up to his announcement, Ellison emphasized Democrats’ need to reflect what grassroots voters want and reflect voters’ economic interests.

“This election cycle, we did not motivate enough people to the ballot box. We must champion the challenges of working families and give voters a reason to show up at the polls in 2018 and beyond. We must build a bench not just for federal candidates, but for state and local candidates across the nation,” he said in his announcement. “We also need a robust party organization in every state that prioritizes voter relationships over everything else. We must invest in and empower our state and local parties by creating effective field operations, an enhanced and advanced voter file, and a culture of collaboration between candidates at every level. Let’s put the voters first.”

The Minnesotan’s DNC campaign website draws from Ellison’s Voters First initiative, a turnout organization he launched last year.

Over the weekend on ABC’s This Week, Ellison dodged a question on whether he would serve as a full-time DNC chair, which would require him to step down from his House post. Ellison was re-elected last week with nearly 70 percent of the vote.

Howard Dean, a former DNC chair, is running to lead the party again. He said last week that the chair position is more than a full-time job.

“I like Keith Ellison a lot — he’s a very good guy. There’s one problem: you cannot do this job and sit in a political office at the same time. It’s not possible,” Dean said.

Former presidential candidate Martin O’Malley is also eyeing a run for party chair, he has said. Other names may arise.

The Democratic Party is being run by an interim chair after the July resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Democrats are expected to pick their new party leader early next year.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger has been toiling as a Minnesota Capitol reporter for one Twin Cities newspaper or another since 2001. She has covered two government shutdowns, two statewide recounts, two Minnesota presidential candidates and lots of policy, politics and plots in between. She tends toward the geeky, has been known to gush about the beauty of certain spreadsheets and is pretty easy to get along with.

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